The Power of the Word

[Sherri]

I've been reading a fascinating book called "These Words Changed Everything". It's about a couple that went into an unreached Indian tribe in southern Mexico in the fifties as Wycliffe translators. They had to live like locals, and learn the language, which had never been alphabetized or written down. Then they took years and years to translate the Bible into the Chamula language.

They had to hire locals to help them with understanding translations and passages, to make sure they would get it exactly right. NONE of these people were saved. As they would work on the Bible and translate it passage by passage into phrases that were understandable, the helper would start to weep as he was convicted of sin in his life or miraculously understood who Jesus is. This happened over and over through the years. Those hired helpers then would take the Bible (or what they called The Good New Words) to their people and that's how the Chamula tribe was reached.

The Wycliffe couple did not go there to evangelize, and they didn't preach or teach, except for one-on-one when questions were raised during translation. The Word did the entire work! When they went back at age 85 to visit one last time, there were thousands of Chamula Christians!! He stood before the huge gathering and quoted that scripture where Simeon said basically that now he could go on home because he had seen the fulfillment of what he longed for (Jesus). I know he was still alive at age 89, but he would be 91 now, so I don't know if God has taken him yet or not.

Anyway - I just wanted to thank God that the Word is powerful!!